Coronavirus and DCL Megathread - Suspension of Departures for the fleet until early November. Booking only available from early December.

[nancipants]

I know the 125% FCC is only on the base fare and doesn’t include taxes and fees. I rebooked for 2021 and was told the taxes and fees for the canceled cruise would be credited back to my CC. Is this true? If so, how long before I can expect it to post to my CC account?

I got mine within a week. I didn’t realize that was being refunded, so it was a nice surprise.

 

[fdefulvio]

I got mine within a week. I didn’t realize that was being refunded, so it was a nice surprise.

At first I was a little disappointed because it reduced the balance of OBC remaining, but now I look at it as an additional 7.5% discount on the initial amount paid plus I still have OBC. A win win as far as I’m concerned.

 

[FigmentSpark]

We got ours about two weeks later, but they refunded all of us to one card, including my sister’s, so I had to refund her portion to her myself. I thought that was odd, since she used her card to pay for her cruise, not mine.

 

[jcarwash]

I know the 125% FCC is only on the base fare and doesn’t include taxes and fees. I rebooked for 2021 and was told the taxes and fees for the canceled cruise would be credited back to my CC. Is this true? If so, how long before I can expect it to post to my CC account?

I've had two cancelations now. For the first cancelation, at the beginning of April, I got my taxes/fees refunded to my credit card within a week. For the second cancelation in mid-May, I'm still waiting and it's been 6 weeks.

 

[Docmum]

International travel is getting more complicated for the US by the day... I'm sure they're feeling depressed as well.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/23/world/europe/coronavirus-EU-American-travel-ban.html
I only mention it because of the islands under some portion of EU jurisdiction... there are so many moving parts to moving cruise ships, and with maritime rules the way they are they can't simply stop going places... we NEED ports to visit.

Yes, international travel is extremely difficult to deal with right now. We are from Europe, have a November cruise booked, are close to our PIF and don‘t know, if we will be allowed to travel to the US for our cruise. As of now, the travel ban for Europeans is still in place, we literally have zero chance to enter the US and have no idea, how long that will last. So PIF date will be crucial for us, as we have to decide if we take the chance and pay, risking entry to the US will still be denied in November and we will lose all the money paid, or if we cancel before PIF and might miss out on a cruise, if borders are open again and cruising has resumed.... .
There is a lot of uncertainty on both sides, which makes it so difficult to decide what to do with already booked cruises.

 

[LunaMini]

Yes, international travel is extremely difficult to deal with right now. We are from Europe, have a November cruise booked, are close to our PIF and don‘t know, if we will be allowed to travel to the US for our cruise. As of now, the travel ban for Europeans is still in place, we literally have zero chance to enter the US and have no idea, how long that will last. So PIF date will be crucial for us, as we have to decide if we take the chance and pay, risking entry to the US will still be denied in November and we will lose all the money paid, or if we cancel before PIF and might miss out on a cruise, if borders are open again and cruising has resumed.... .
There is a lot of uncertainty on both sides, which makes it so difficult to decide what to do with already booked cruises.

Surely you wouldn’t totally miss out now with the new alteration policy? Even after PIF you can switch your cruise to another, therefore not really missing out, just delaying.
for reference, I’m a UK guest who has a late September cruise booked (the first one currently due out!) and was on a non refundable booking, passed PIF. At least now I have up to 15 days beforehand to switch it if we can’t get in to the USA.

 

[mmmears]

Yes, international travel is extremely difficult to deal with right now. We are from Europe, have a November cruise booked, are close to our PIF and don‘t know, if we will be allowed to travel to the US for our cruise. As of now, the travel ban for Europeans is still in place, we literally have zero chance to enter the US and have no idea, how long that will last. So PIF date will be crucial for us, as we have to decide if we take the chance and pay, risking entry to the US will still be denied in November and we will lose all the money paid, or if we cancel before PIF and might miss out on a cruise, if borders are open again and cruising has resumed.... .
There is a lot of uncertainty on both sides, which makes it so difficult to decide what to do with already booked cruises.

We were booked on an international cruise and it was just too iffy for me. I cancelled before PIF date because I didn't want all that money tied up with DCL when we have no idea when we will be able to cruise again. In the end, the cruise was cancelled anyway. I think it just depends on how risk averse you are and what your tolerance level is for DCL credit (for us, it was a very expensive cruise, and not easy to find another one at the same price that would work for us). IMHO things are not looking good here in the US right now, but November is a ways away.

 

[T & R]

Last year they switched from the individual use bottles of lotion, conditioner and shampoo to the big community use bottles. Now with everything that's going on, do you think they will switch back to the little personal use bottles? I liked those bottles/tubes of stuff and was disappointed when the discontinued them.

 

[DisneYE]

(Canada-US border related)
This article came out today where an epidemiologist in Toronto indicated he doesn't see the US-CAN border opening any time soon - Might be as long as 12 months (!!!)

So this pretty much cancels the chance of any Canadian scheduled to go on a DCL this year.
Not that there'll be any sailings this year anyway (I don't think there will)
But wow, if this goes into 2021, man its going to be tough.
I'm resigned to 2020 being canceled but 2021 as well?...just wow.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-u-s-border-pandemic-covid-coronavirus-1.5633650

 

[bcwife76]

(Canada-US border related)
This article came out today where an epidemiologist in Toronto indicated he doesn't see the US-CAN border opening any time soon - Might be as long as 12 months (!!!)

So this pretty much cancels the chance of any Canadian scheduled to go on a DCL this year.
Not that there'll be any sailings this year anyway (I don't think there will)
But wow, if this goes into 2021, man its going to be tough.
I'm resigned to 2020 being canceled but 2021 as well?...just wow.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-u-s-border-pandemic-covid-coronavirus-1.5633650

Technically Canadians are just banned from crossing the land border into the US. We can still fly. Should we? No. Not only do we expose ourselves to more situations to get the virus, we have to quarantine for 14 days upon returning to Canada and good luck getting travel medical. But there are still Canadians that WILL travel this summer, trust me (not us, we are staying in BC).

 

[DisneYE]

Technically Canadians are just banned from crossing the land border into the US. We can still fly. Should we? No. Not only do we expose ourselves to more situations to get the virus, we have to quarantine for 14 days upon returning to Canada and good luck getting travel medical. But there are still Canadians that WILL travel this summer, trust me (not us, we are staying in BC).

Yeah. I agree. I'd rather not go to the US (or anywhere for that matter) for now, as much as I miss traveling.

Are ppl flying now? wow

I didn't know you could cross the border at all (even flying) if you're not 'essential'

 

[bcwife76]

Yeah. I agree. I'd rather not go to the US (or anywhere for that matter) for now, as much as I miss traveling.

Are ppl flying now? wow

I didn't know you could cross the border at all (even flying) if you're not 'essential'

Yep, we can fly, travel by boat or train into the US, even if not going on essential business.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/u-s-travel-restrictions-covid-19-land-border-fly-1.5607741Only the land border is closed to non-essential. It's worth noting this is not reciprocal and US citizens still cannot fly, drive, boat or take a train into Canada for any reason other than essential business or to repartriate with family members (the criteria of which is rather strict). So yep, if you can get a flight out you can leave. From YVR we can fly to LA, San Fran, Seattle and Texas at the moment, with more flights being added in a few weeks apparently. Not that we will be on a plane for the rest of 2020 ourselves. At the moment I'm concerned we won't even make our March 2021 spring break cruise

 

[DisneYE]

Cool. Thanks for the link to the article. Bummer that things are so bad right now with the CV or I'd grab a plane to a beach somewhere.
Hope your SB 2021 DCL takes place. Cheers.

 

[TestingH2O]

From YVR we can fly to LA, San Fran, Seattle and Texas at the moment, with more flights being added in a few weeks apparently.

Of all the places, those are certainly not looking like ones I’d want to be in.

Enjoy it though. The rest of the world will open to you before it opens to the US.

 

[bcwife76]

Of all the places, those are certainly not looking like ones I’d want to be in.

Enjoy it though. The rest of the world will open to you before it opens to the US.

Well, it's weird because the EU has like 14 or 15 countries on their list right now including Canada but today the UK released a list of 59 countries that can now enter the UK without having to do the 14 day quarantine and Canada is NOT on the list....uh....hello we are a commonwealth country, the queen is still on our money and we have 1/3 the amount of Covid cases that the the UK has Maybe Boris is just choked because Canada has extended the ban on International travelers until July 31st and our mandatory quarantine has been extended til August 31. Whatever. I'm safer in BC anyway.

 

[princessmommyx3]

Has anyone seen this? Do you think it could be a game changer for cruising?

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Has anyone seen this? Do you think it could be a game changer for cruising?

A treatment that hasn't been broadly tested, approved by the FDA or other organizations, and has never been peer reviewed?

Not changing any games any time soon.

 

[princessmommyx3]

A treatment that hasn't been broadly tested, approved by the FDA or other organizations, and has never been peer reviewed?

Not hanging any games any time soon.

Hey, all successful treatments have to start somewhere! It’s at least a glimmer of hope, which I don’t think should be immediately discounted. And, it has been approved by the FDA for asthma treatment for decades.

 

[AquaDame]

Hey, all successful treatments have to start somewhere! It’s at least a glimmer of hope, which I don’t think should be immediately discounted. And, it has been approved by the FDA for asthma treatment for decades.

It doesn't cure or prevent covid, so I'm not sure I'd call it a game changer. Much as I would LOVE to see it, and stop the mass cancellations...

It sounds like it deals with breathing issues according to this one doctor (keeping in mind its a talk show) - which makes sense since its proven with asthma and is an anti inflammatory. Anything we can do to comfort the sick, and keep them from dying, is a good thing.

Dying from this disease isn't the only fear with it - we're seeing scarring on lungs from survivors, and an increased risk of stroke in otherwise young and healthy patients also. I really do think it is going to take a cure or prevention to change the game.

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/hea...oronavirus/what-coronavirus-does-to-the-lungs
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/06/200604095600.htm

 

[CmdrThor]

Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line have hired a panel of experts to attempt to work with the CDC regarding restarting cruises. According to the article the panel has been meeting since June and will present recommendations in August.

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/07/cru...rus-experts-to-help-overcome-rough-patch.html